Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE!

Join YRF at the JCRC-NY
CELEBRATE ISRAEL PARADE
Sunday, May 18th 11:30AM-4PM (rain or shine)
Fifth Avenue 57th-74th Street, NYC

SAVE THE DATE!

YRF Gala 2025
Monday, June 9th 6-9PM EST
At PEAK Hudson Yards
Honoring Karen W. Davidson
CO-CHAIRS: Amy & Elliot Holtz, Marc Rowan, Carolyn Rowan, Madeleine & Paul Schnell

SAVE THE DATE!

YRF Golf Tournament 2025
Monday, September 29th
Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY.
Featuring exclusive golf opportunities + Live Q&A with PGA Tour Player Max Greyserman!

CHAIRS: Stuart Angowitz, Harlan Cherniak, Jason Greenstein, Max Greyserman, Ivan Lehon, Hadley Ma, Jacquie Greserman-Ptalis & Jamie Schweid

Youth Renewal Fund: OUR MISSION

Get Involved

Youth Renewal Fund: SEE OUR WORK

Get Involved

MEET OUR LEADERSHIP

Talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not! The Youth Renewal Fund is addressing this by providing innovative programs to schools in Israel’s lowest income communities. We're changing the lives of Israelis through education.
Paul Schnell
President
There is a staggering gap in Israel between the rich and the poor, and it is our mission, to use education as a form of social mobility, to close this gap.
Sam Katz
Executive Committee Member
When students of any background are provided with innovative educational opportunities, coupled with dedicated teachers and appropriate resources, anything is possible. The Youth Renewal Fund creates this unique environment for all our students every day.
Rob Schwartz
Executive Committee Member
Our students dream big. They want to be dancers, astronauts and entrepreneurs. Darca gives them the tools to have these dreams and helps them unlock their potential to do so.
Sam Camens
Board Member
The Youth Renewal Fund is changing the lives of thousands of Israeli students while setting a new standard for education in the country.
Randye Kwait
Executive Committee Member
Our efforts have verified the belief that when students are provided equivalent educational resources as the wealthiest segments of society they too flourish.
Dr. Gil Pereg, YRF CEO

Youth Renewal Fund by the numbers

MUNICIPALITIES

SCHOOLS & INSTITUTIONS

STUDENTS

TEACHERS

The Bagrut certificate is a prerequisite for higher education in Israel. In Israel, acceptance into elite military units, academic studies, and employment are heavily influenced by receipt of a Bagrut certificate and the Bagrut scores achieved.

LATEST NEWS

30
Nov

Applying the Private Equity Model to K-12 Schools (With Great Results)

What happens when you disrupt K-12 education by applying the private equity model to it?
24
Nov

Prime Time News Coverage 2022

Featured primetime news stories about Darca. 
13
Apr

Apollo Co-Founder Taps Private Equity Playbook for Educational Nonprofit

Marc Rowan, co-founder of global private-equity firm Apollo Global Management , spent decades buying companies with an eye toward improving them with new capital, leadership, accountability and operating strategies. He used a similar strategy to shape a charity that seeks to improve educational access and social mobility in Israel. Mr. Rowan credits a strong education
28
Feb

Buy to Build: Nonprofit M&A as an Impact Enhancer

From left to right: Dr. Gil Pereg, CEO of Darca Schools; Lt . Gen. (Ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, former IDF Chief of General Staff and Chairman of Rashi Foundation; Mr. Marc Rowan,  CEO of Apollo Global Management and chairman of YRF; Ms. Danna Azrieli, chair of Azrieli Group and chair of Azrieli Foundation Israel. (Photo by
24
Feb

Education reform through a private equity lens

The industry’s value-creating model can help schools prepare the next generation of critical thinkers and innovators. Prior to the pandemic, one of the biggest inhibitors to growth was the availability of qualified candidates. The US economy had reached “full employment”, while the unemployment rate in the UK hit its lowest level since 1975. But at

Support Darca schools in Israel

Our Board of Directors generously underwrites all administrative and fundraising costs,
ensuring that 100% of all donations go directly to Darca Schools.

Donate Now